More about: Declan McKenna

Waiting excitedly for Declan McKenna to come on, the vibe in the Royal Albert Hall is incredible. Creating an atmosphere far from the usual classic crowd the hall is used to, the fans make themselves right at home.

The chanting of “Oh Declan McKenna” to the melodic backdrop of The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’ can be heard numerous times before the star takes to the iconic stage. It’s not hard to get the link, which essentially is about witnessing something musically significant, and Enfield raised Declan McKenna knows how to capture the young audience in attendance, and he understands how to deliver a raw, entertaining show. With a well-documented, ever-present love of all things David Bowie and The Beatles, the glam singer songwriter is in high spirits with an energy that is hard to match. 

Accompanied by a sizeable, flexible, constantly alterating band, McKenna is surrounded by a diverse group of musicians, and he clearly wants the show to feel like a party. Joined by Alfie Templeman, Georgia, CMAT, Will Joseph Cook and more – the finished concoction is a glamourous pop-rock show of the very versatile sort. A feast of young, endlessly exciting talent.

With a set focusing on the hits as well as the deep cuts, McKenna is determined to kick things off with energy. Through a dynamic setlist that constitutes 17 tracks and an encore of four, an inspired performance unfolds. The delivery of freshly incorporated moments like ‘Brew’ and ‘Don’t Fuck With Me, Baby’ are seen as more than welcome, embraced just as enthusiastically as established contenders such as ‘Be An Astronaut’, and ‘Brazil’.

Highlights come in a total variety as Declan moves through the different facets of his backcatalogue from ‘My House’ and ‘The Key To Life On Earth’ to the huge ‘British Bombs’, coaxing out the kind of energy that boils over in a mosh pit during ‘lsombard’. Deeper, more pensive, soulful moments appear with ‘Make Me Your Queen’, ‘Emily’, and the strongly John Lennon leaning ‘Too Busy’. 

Production values are a priority, and a changeable lighting design that surprises and amazes is presented throughout. Smartphone moments that are worth capturing are in double-numbers, and the crowd seems all game, as handsets are placed on torch mode at regular intervals and video clips are created frequently. With lyrics of currency and relevance, and quite often politically charged, McKenna could be viewed as inaccessible to some, but not for this crowd, as the majority of lyrics are sung back to the artist with passion and precision. 

Declan McKenna has actually been around for about seven years as a working artist, but he is still only 23 years of age, so in a way, this probably still counts as early days in terms of his career. Had the Covid pandemic not hit with such force and intensity McKenna might have played a venue at least twice the size of this one by now, but until that moment comes along, Royal Albert Hall remains a pretty fabulous gig to get your hands on.    

See photos of the night by Matt Chapman below:

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More about: Declan McKenna